Rowing device



Jan.- 2, 1951 R. LANNIVNG ETAL ROWING DEVICE Filed May 23, 1947 ATTORN EY.

Patented Jan. 2, 1951 UNITED STATES 1 PATENT DFFICE RowrNG DEVICE Roy Lanning, Sabetha, and Clate Brougher, Morrill, Kans.

This invention relates to devices for manuali forcing boats or the like through water and more specifically to an instrument for rowing in the form of a sectional oar.

The most important object of this invention is to provide a sectional oar designed to permit forcing a boat or the like through the water in the same direction in which the operator of the rowing instruments is facing.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a rowing instrument having an oar lock and an oar made from a handle section and a bladed section, each being pivotally mounted near one end thereof respectively to the oar lock and having a link interconnecting said ends to the end that as the handle section of the oar is moved in one direction, the bladed section thereof, swings in the same direction.

A further object of this in'ention is the provision of a rowing instrument having an oar lock and an oar formed from a handle section and a bladed section, each being pivotally connected to the oar lock near proximal ends thereof and having said proximal ends connected pivotally by a short link to the end that movement of the handle section on its pivot in one direction, swings the bladed section in the same direction on its particular pivot.

Other objects of this invention include the manner in which the pivotal connections between the oar lock and the oar sections are in spaced apart relation and substantially parallel; the way in which the sections of the oar, as Well as the pivotal connecting link therebetween, all move on substantially the same plane when the rowing instrument is placed in use; and the way in which the oar lock per se is swngably supported by the boat when placed in use.

Many minor objects will be made clear or become apparent during the course of the specication, reference boing had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of a sectional oar made in accordance with our present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof.

FigLjS is a cross-sectional view taken on line IIIQIII of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line ,iV-71V of Fig. looking in the direction of the arrows.' r

Itisjco-rnmon knowledge by any one who has everrowed a boat by the, conventional means. thatf'when such operation takes place, the operatorthe'reof travels in a direction opposite to that which he is facing. This has many obvious disadvantages since the operator cannot readily see where he is going and disastrous results may occur in the form of accidents or other damaging effects. This has been harassing to many followers of this sport but heretofore, no satisfactory means has been provided to remedy the situation.

It is realized that oars have heretofore been made to make it possible to row a boat and face the direction of travel, but none of these instruments have been too satisfactory. Such conventionalV types of oars have been expensive to manufacture and when placed in use, have not providedthe smooth action which is made possible by the sectional oarabout to be described.

In the drawing, the numeral IU designates broadly an oar lock which is formed to carry an oar designated by the numeral I 2. The oar I2 is sectional, there being a handle section I4 and a bladed section I6. The bladed section I6 is provided with a blade or paddle I8 in the usual manner. The section I4 and the section, I 6 are each pivotally secured to the oar lock I0 as at 20 and 22 respectively.

The oar lock I0 constitutes a base plate 24 and an enclosed loop section 26. This section 26 has an inturned flange portion 28 and an out-turned ange portion 30, each of which is secured to the base ,plate 24 in any suitable manner such as by Welding. 4

The looped section 26 has an uppermost wall 32 which is in spaced relationship to the base 24 and extends laterally from one end thereof in an elongated tongue 34. The pivotal bolts or the like 2l] and 22 extend through the top plate 32 of section 26, thence through the respective sections It and I6 of oar I2 and then through the base vplate 24, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 2, 31 and 4.

Suitable spacers 36 and 38 for bolts 2U and respectively, maintain the sections III and I6 i oar I 2 spaced from the upper and lowerrnost Walls beyond this end of handle section It, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2, to pivotally receive one end of a second pair of elongated plates 42. The opposits end of these plates 42 extends laterally from the handle section I4 and embraces the innermost end of the section I6 of oar I 2, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The end of the plates 42 whavingbconnection with the handle section I II is otally connected to the latter through the end of the vplates 42 has pivotal connection with the bladed section I6 of the oar I2 by a bolt or the like f.

A barrel hinge for a substantially U-shaped member 48, is formed on the base plate 24 of the oar lock I Il by stamping a pair of tongues 50 therefrom, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4. These tongues 50 are in spaced apart relationship and extend 1downwardly -from the lowermost face of 'the base plate 24. 'The ybight of vthis U-shaped member 48 is pivotallyv received by these barrel lips 5G to swingably support the oar` lock I and the oar I2 supported thereby 'when the member 48 is mounted upon the boat. Any suitable means for receiving the two downturned legs of the member 48 may be providedv in the boat. This receiving means in thefboat `(not shown) may simply constitute a pair of reenforced holes formed in theigunwale of the boat. It is clear from the Vforegoing that when the oar :lock i0 is mounted upon` :the boat through the medi-um Yoiv the Mashaped member 4,8 de,- -pending therefrom 4the sectional -oar Vmay :be placed in useand fthe Aoperator thereof will face the 'direction of travel of `the boat. Whenrthe handle section I4-'of the oar I2 is grasped by the opera-tor and pulled `Ain .asd-irection toward himself, ythefblacled:section I6 will move in the same r'direc- :tion and will pull the 4boat through lthe Water inthe usual manner. 'I'.hisiorce which-isexerted :upon theyhandl-e section J4 of oar I2, will cause fszuch swinging of bladed .section IB in the same di-4 rection by cause `of the torce impar-ted -to the Vlatter ,by the link 24 pivotally connecting 4the proximal v ends of the sections I4 and I5.

` ,It is-clear from the foregoing. that the lpurposes aforesaid .are accomplished because k,of `the spaced apart relationship `between the bolts Y2i] and `22 pix/totally mounting the .sections vIll and i6 respectively to the-oar lock II). These ibolts 2J) and :22. ,are also in substantially parallel relationship and in ,substantial parallelism with the two pivotal connections 44 and 46 of the 42, The bladed section IB, the handle section IlIrrand the :4,2 will all travel-inthe same plane whenthe sectional oar is placed in use.

-Manifestly, the sectional soar `just described embodies 'but Ta .few parts and it therefore,

.easily and inexpensively manufactured. Further` more, the parts of this device will not easily get out of order as is true with the .conventional type of oar of this character having a plurality of complicated intermeshing gears to supplant the pivotal connections above described. When placed in use, this sectional oar operates extremely Well and aiords a smooth action to the boat and for the operator thereof.

While only one modification of our sectional oar has been illustrated and described, it is to be understood thatmanyvchanges 'and modications may be made Without ydeparting from the spirit of this invention or scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described our invention, what is :claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

y An instrument :for rowing comprising an oar lock; an -oar having a bladed section and a handle section; .a pairlo elongated plates rigidly secured to said handle section on opposed sides thereof and' extending beyond one end of the handle section, with the outer ends of the plates con- Merging to. a point of mutual con-tact: means pivotally mounting 4said plates and said handle REFERENCES VCITED The vfollowing references -are of record inthe iile of `this patent: Y UNITED STATES PATENTS Number; l Date '117,980 Flint Jan. 6, 1903 796,260 vSimpson et al. Aug. 1, 1965 1,006,561 Kaselowsky Oct. 24, 1911 1,053,822 Jewell Feb. 18, 1913 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date '751105 Switzerland Oct. 16, 1917 

